History VideoGame / NintendoWars

* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: Very guilty of this. No more than 50 units under your control ever. Note, however, that every unit in the Advance Wars games except for Megatanks/Wartanks/[=APCs=]/Ships is a literal unit composed of no fewer than ten of whatever you're specifically talking about.

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* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: Very guilty of this. No more than 50 units under your control ever. Note, however, that every unit in the Advance Wars games except for Megatanks/Wartanks/[=APCs=]/Ships is a literal unit composed of no fewer than ten of whatever you're specifically talking about. [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Except for AW2]], where it's 5 of whatever you're talking about and members start getting killed every 2 HP lost.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The Megatank. There really was a tank the size of a small office building- the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_VIII_Maus "Maus" Land Cruiser.]] It only had one cannon though; it's next iteration (the ''Ratte'') would have had a turret with multiple cannons.

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* AluminumChristmasTrees: The Megatank. There really was a tank the size of a small office building- the house—the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_VIII_Maus "Maus" Land Cruiser.]] Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus"]]. It only even had one cannon though; it's next iteration (the ''Ratte'') would have had a turret with multiple cannons.cannons like the Megatank, albeit a small one and a large one in a single turret instead of five cannons across multiple turrets. Some multi-turreted tanks did exist, but they tended to be a lot smaller.

* BarrierMaiden: Cruisers, as of Days of Ruin, are an almost purely defensive unit whose whole purpose is to protect fellow naval units from their various counters. They have huge firepower and armor bonuses against Submarines and Missile Boats, who otherwise rule the seas, and get the same against anything airborne, while being almost useless against [[LikeCannotCutLike other Cruisers]], Battleships or Carriers.

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* BarrierMaiden: Cruisers, as of Days of Ruin, are an almost purely defensive unit whose whole purpose is to protect fellow naval units from their various counters. They have huge firepower and armor bonuses against Submarines and Missile Boats, who otherwise rule the seas, and get the same against anything airborne, while being almost useless against [[LikeCannotCutLike other Cruisers]], Battleships or Carriers.Carriers (literally useless in games before ''Dual Strike'', where they simply couldn't attack any surface vessel).

** The degree of brutality goes down as the games go on, though. Advance Campaign from ''Advance Wars'' is [[HarderThanHard hellishly difficult]] and [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard unfair]]. Hard Campaign from ''Black Hole Rising'' is tougher, but still a balanced challenge. Hard campaign from ''Dual Strike'' tends to be ''[[NonIndicativeDifficulty easier]]'' than the normal campaign, as you are allowed to choose any pair of [=COs=].

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** The degree of brutality goes down as the games go on, though. Advance Campaign from ''Advance Wars'' is [[HarderThanHard hellishly difficult]] and [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard unfair]]. The Hard Campaign from ''Black Hole Rising'' is tougher, but still a balanced challenge. The Hard campaign from ''Dual Strike'' tends to can sometimes be ''[[NonIndicativeDifficulty easier]]'' than the normal campaign, as you are allowed to choose any pair of [=COs=].

* TheCaligula: Greyfield. There's a reason why his theme is called "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Madman]]'s Reign".* TheCavalry: After Crystal Calamity in ''Dual Strike'' the Allied Nations declare the war over... only for Black Hole to resurge and hit ''hard'' when it's least expected. With most of their bases destroyed, Rachel desperately asks Nell for reinforcements... [[TheBusCameBack and Sami, Grit, Sonja, and Eagle show up just in the nick of time]].

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* TheCaligula: Greyfield. There's a reason why his theme is called "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Madman]]'s Reign".* TheCavalry: TheCavalry:** After Crystal Calamity in ''Dual Strike'' the Allied Nations declare the war over... only for Black Hole to resurge and hit ''hard'' when it's least expected. With most of their bases destroyed, Rachel desperately asks Nell for reinforcements... [[TheBusCameBack and Sami, Grit, Sonja, and Eagle show up just in the nick of time]].** During Lab Rats in ''Days of Ruin'', [[spoiler:Will and Lin are onboard the Great Owl in an effort to rescue Isabella. While they're busy, the rest of the Rubinelle and Lazurian forces are on the run from Tabitha's army. It takes a few turns in the mission for Will to arrive with a crapload of units following behind]].

* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: there's a case that ''helps'' the player in Beachhead in ''Battalion Wars 1''; the CPU-controlled Artillery can snipe off the infantry climbing up the hilly terrain that makes seeing them difficult, from inside the fort on top of the hills. However, in ''Battalion Wars 2'', while there is another case that involves a playable unit in the last mission, it does ''not'' help the player whatsoever: [[spoiler:the Battlestation attacks the guns that fire the weak green lasers coming from the Mining Spider before attacking the blasted digging machine itself, but you don't get to aim at these guns whatsoever.]] This makes no sense because [[spoiler:the Fighters you get are harder, albeit generally more rewarding, to control than the no-brainer Battlestation]], but at least [[spoiler:the Heavy Tanks fire at the guns too if commanded to attack the Spider]].

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* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: there's There's a case that ''helps'' the player in Beachhead in ''Battalion Wars 1''; the CPU-controlled Artillery can snipe off the infantry climbing up the hilly terrain that makes seeing them difficult, from inside the fort on top of the hills. However, in ''Battalion Wars 2'', while there is another case that involves a playable unit in the last mission, it does ''not'' help the player whatsoever: [[spoiler:the Battlestation attacks the guns that fire the weak green lasers coming from the Mining Spider before attacking the blasted digging machine itself, but you don't get to aim at these guns whatsoever.]] This makes no sense because [[spoiler:the Fighters you get are harder, albeit generally more rewarding, to control than the no-brainer Battlestation]], but at least [[spoiler:the Heavy Tanks fire at the guns too if commanded to attack the Spider]].

** Kanbei as well. His troops are extremely strong, despite being more expensive, and yet, Kanbei is constantly lectured by his daughter Sonja, and in one scene, when Sonja runs in with important news, Kanbei's first response is to ask if she's seen his sock.This could just be CripplingOverspecialization. Kanbei is a master commander who's an airhead with anything that isn't war.* CutscenePowerToTheMax: played straight with Black Hole in ''Dual Strike''.

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** Kanbei as well. His troops are extremely strong, despite being more expensive, and yet, Kanbei is constantly lectured by his daughter Sonja, and in one scene, when Sonja runs in with important news, Kanbei's first response is to ask if she's seen his sock.This could just be CripplingOverspecialization. Kanbei is a master commander who's an airhead with anything that isn't war.* CutscenePowerToTheMax: played Played straight with Black Hole in ''Dual Strike''.

** Tabitha/Larisa in ''Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict'' is Caulder's oldest child, and a very dangerous and capable [=CO=], despite (or perhaps because) of her [[ItsAllAboutMe arrogance]].

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** Tabitha/Larisa in ''Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict'' is Caulder's oldest child, and a very dangerous and capable [=CO=], despite (or perhaps because) of her [[ItsAllAboutMe arrogance]]. Waylon/Finn could also count as one for Greyfield/Sigismundo.

** The first Advance Wars had you play as a NonEntityGeneral, a "strategic advisor" to Orange Star who you named yourself, much like the Tactician in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade the first internationally-released Fire Emblem game]]. This was dropped from all subsequent games. Additionally, the Campaign was very different to later games. The tutorial was separate from the main campaign rather than integrated into it, most cmaps were pre-deploy (You start with a large number of units, instead of having to build them yourself), only Orange Star was playable, there were branching routes depending on which characters you selected for which missions and Hard Mode (Advanced Mode here) dropped the Power and Technique scores entirely and only ranked you on Speed. (It's also [[NintendoHard MUCH more difficult]] than the Hard Modes of later games)* EarnYourHappyEnding: [=DoR/DC=], which ends with all the enemy forces defeated, the deadly virus being cured and people being able to grow crops just as the sun appears again. And boy, did they make you work for it.

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** The first Advance Wars had you play as a NonEntityGeneral, a "strategic advisor" to Orange Star who you named yourself, much like the Tactician in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade the first internationally-released Fire Emblem game]]. This was dropped from all subsequent games. Additionally, the Campaign was very different to later games. The tutorial was separate from the main campaign rather than integrated into it, most cmaps maps were of the pre-deploy type (You start with a large number of units, instead of having to build them yourself), only Orange Star was playable, there were branching routes depending on which characters you selected for which missions missions, there were no Super CO Powers, and Hard Mode (Advanced Mode here) dropped the Power and Technique scores entirely and only ranked you on Speed. Speed (It's also [[NintendoHard MUCH more difficult]] than the Hard Modes of later games)games).* EarnYourHappyEnding: [=DoR/DC=], ''Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict'', which ends with all the enemy forces defeated, the deadly virus being cured and people being able to grow crops just as the sun appears again. And boy, did they make you work for it.

* GoodVersusGood: Played with in ''Days of Ruin''. The start of the second arc begins with several battles between the New Rubinelle Army (who Brenner's Wolves side with) and Lazuria. At first, the latter look like the villains, but it turns out that the NRA -- on the orders of [[TheCaligula Greyfield]] --actually shot first. The Lazurians are just trying to defend their homeland and turn out to be sympathetic. Brenner and Forsythe both lament that they are forced to fight each other despite both being honorable and wanting the conflict to end.

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* GoodVersusGood: GoodVersusGood:** Played with in ''Days of Ruin''. The start of the second arc begins with several battles between the New Rubinelle Army (who Brenner's Wolves side with) and Lazuria. At first, the latter look like the villains, but it turns out that the NRA -- on the orders of [[TheCaligula Greyfield]] --actually shot first. The Lazurians are just trying to defend their homeland and turn out to be sympathetic. Brenner and Forsythe both lament that they are forced to fight each other despite both being honorable and wanting the conflict to end.end.** Also present in the first ''Advance Wars'', though you don't realize it until the end. All of the nations were duped by Sturm to attack one another, and any reason for the other nations to act with hostility towards Orange Star was through manipulation or false-flag attacks (or for Yellow Comet, simply trespassing).

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Olaf]] at the end of ''Advance Wars'', [[spoiler:Hawke and Lash]] during ''Dual Strike'', [[spoiler:Penny/Lili and Cyrus]] during ''Days of Ruin''.

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* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Olaf]] [[spoiler:Olaf and Kanbei]] at the end of ''Advance Wars'', [[spoiler:Hawke and Lash]] during ''Dual Strike'', [[spoiler:Penny/Lili and Cyrus]] during ''Days of Ruin''.

%%* HesBack * HesBack: After said HeroicBSOD, however, [[spoiler:Will/Ed remembers the advice of Brenner/O'Brian and rushes into battle to take command just as his colleagues were on the run from Greyfield/Sigismundo]]. Notably, this is the moment where CO Powers are introduced in the game's campaign.

* SelectiveCondemnation: In ''Dual Strike'', the BigBad Von Bolt dares you to shoot him in order to stop his evil scheme, claiming it would [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim make you as bad as he is.]] This in spite of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of enemy units you've killed and allied units destroyed under your command to get this far. Not to mention the deaths that would be caused if he did succeed.

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* SelectiveCondemnation: In ''Dual Strike'', the BigBad Von Bolt dares you to shoot him in order to stop his evil scheme, claiming it would [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim make you as bad as he is.]] This in spite of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of enemy units you've killed and allied units destroyed under your command to get this far. Not to mention the deaths that would be caused if he did succeed. If Jake shoots him anyway (actually, he shoots his life support system, but all to the same effect), he even lampshades Von Bolt's use of this trope.

** The Beast's theme is a dark, menacing track very fitting of its original owner. It's reused once again later in the game for another CO - Davis, the cowardly, somewhat good natured subordinate to the main villain, and the one character in the game that couldn't be less suited to it.

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** The Beast's theme is a dark, menacing track very fitting of its original owner. It's reused once again later in the game for another CO - Davis, Davis/Cole, the cowardly, somewhat good natured subordinate to the main villain, and the one character in the game that couldn't be less suited to it.

* BarrierMaiden: Cruisers, as of Days of Ruin, are an almost purely defensive unit whose whole purpose is to protect fellow naval units from their various counters. They have huge firepower and armor bonuses against Submarines and Missile Boats, who otherwise rule the seas, and get the same against anything airborne, while being almost useless against [[LikeCannotCutLike other Cruisers]], Battleships or Carriers.

** Of particular note is the Missile unit from the Nintendo/Advance series, which is not only ludicrously specialized but also ''almost completely useless'' at what it does. [[note]]Missiles are an anti-air indirect unit whose range is shorter than the movement of every air unit save the T Copter, which can still dodge in under their ArbitraryMinimumRange. B Copters can swoop in and nail them with no trouble, while Bombers and Fighters can practically dance around them. To serve their intended role, they require bait and usually must work in pairs, while an equivalent cost of Anti-Airs would be vastly more useful. Their range boost in Days of Ruin served to take them from "worthless" to "ludicrously situational".[[/note]]

** Submarines, although in Japan-only installments and when submerged in the Advance Wars games, they're NighInvulnerable.** Air units in general (all games) only can be attacked by a few types of units but get shredded ''fast'' by them. In the Advance Wars series, even Fighters (the least squishy plane unit) take upwards of 70% damage from a Missile barrage.

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** Submarines, although in Japan-only installments and when submerged in the Advance Wars games, they're NighInvulnerable.NighInvulnerable as long as they don't run into a Cruiser.** Air units in general (all games) only can be attacked by a few types of units but get shredded ''fast'' by them. In the Advance Wars series, even Fighters (the least squishy plane unit) take upwards of 70% damage from a Missile barrage. Air to Air engagements take this to the logical extreme of "whoever fires first, wins", as one would expect of a GlassCannon duel.

** In terms of units, ''Days of Ruin'' also introduces the Duster and the Seaplane, which are both capable of attacking every single unit ''in the game.'' While neither of them are truly outstanding and will lose against a specialized AntiAir counter, they are enough to give everything that isn't a Fighter, Cruiser or Anti-Air a reasonably tough fight.** Stealth Planes from ''Dual Strike'' were actually the first unit that could engage anything, and could do so with reasonable success. However, they were also outperformed by at least one or two other, more specialized units, but their primary advantage lies in their ability to disappear and strike from anywhere.

* SchizoTech: Mostly in the first three Advance Wars games. You have no shortage of missile units and even stealth aircraft, but once you get to the naval combat, it goes right back to WWII - big guns and bombers. Fixed, to some extent, with missile boats in ''Days of Ruin''.

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* SchizoTech: Mostly in the first three Advance Wars games. You have no shortage of missile units and even stealth aircraft, but once you get to the naval combat, it goes right back to WWII - big guns and bombers. Fixed, to some extent, with missile boats and the massive retool of how Carriers and Battleships work in ''Days of Ruin''.Ruin''. [[note]]In previous games, Battleships worked like a traditional artillery unit, only able to move or shoot on a turn, albeit possessing an unmatched range of 9 spaces. As of ''Days of Ruin'' they can now both move and shoot, making them mobile and incredibly potent fire support, and while their weapon range was reduced to 5, that's on top of their 5 movement, giving them an effective range of 10. Carriers, in turn, used to be an anti-air Battleship that could refuel and arm (but not repair) aircraft with 8 range; vastly better than Missiles, but overall very gimmicky and never actually useful for their staggering cost. ''Days of Ruin'' turns them into a mobile airport that can do everything for all air units and produce the "decent against everything" Seaplane, while also reducing their cost. This, effectively, turns naval combat into high-speed battles of maneuver, rather than slow, methodical artillery duels.[[/note]]

* AntiClimaxBoss: Von Bolt in ''Dual Strike''. While his CO power is unique, it's horribly overpriced, and neither of the maps you face him on play to his strengths at all. The first makes it gratuitously easy to pull a DungeonBypass on all his fortifications, and the second is a wide-open field with no Black Hole base, taking away everything he needs to have an advantage.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: In the tutorial missions of each game, there's dialogue ready for every possibility the player can come up with (outside of the mandatory actions, of course). Amusingly, if the player decides to [[UnwinnableByInsanity deplete all their units' fuel]] in maps with fixed units, there is special dialogue with your teacher expressing either bewilderment or fury that you deliberately wasted valuable resources just to see what would happen.

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* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: DevelopersForesight: In the tutorial missions of each game, there's dialogue ready for every possibility the player can come up with (outside of the mandatory actions, of course). Amusingly, if the player decides to [[UnwinnableByInsanity deplete all their units' fuel]] in maps with fixed units, there is special dialogue with your teacher expressing either bewilderment or fury that you deliberately wasted valuable resources just to see what would happen.

* AntiClimaxBoss: Von Bolt in ''Dual Strike''. While his CO power is unique, it's horribly overpriced, and neither of the maps you face him on play to his strengths at all. The first makes it gratuitously easy to pull a DungeonBypass on all his fortifications, and the second is a wide-open field with no Black Hole base, taking away everything he needs to have an advantage.

** The first Advance Wars had you play as a NonEntityGeneral, a "strategic advisor" to Orange Star who you named yourself, much like the Tactician in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe the first internationally-released Fire Emblem game]]. This was dropped from all subsequent games. Additionally, the Campaign was very different to later games. The tutorial was separate from the main campaign rather than integrated into it, most cmaps were pre-deploy (You start with a large number of units, instead of having to build them yourself), only Orange Star was playable, there were branching routes depending on which characters you selected for which missions and Hard Mode (Advanced Mode here) dropped the Power and Technique scores entirely and only ranked you on Speed. (It's also [[NintendoHard MUCH more difficult]] than the Hard Modes of later games)

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** The first Advance Wars had you play as a NonEntityGeneral, a "strategic advisor" to Orange Star who you named yourself, much like the Tactician in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade the first internationally-released Fire Emblem game]]. This was dropped from all subsequent games. Additionally, the Campaign was very different to later games. The tutorial was separate from the main campaign rather than integrated into it, most cmaps were pre-deploy (You start with a large number of units, instead of having to build them yourself), only Orange Star was playable, there were branching routes depending on which characters you selected for which missions and Hard Mode (Advanced Mode here) dropped the Power and Technique scores entirely and only ranked you on Speed. (It's also [[NintendoHard MUCH more difficult]] than the Hard Modes of later games)

** The first Advance Wars had you play as a NonEntityGeneral, a "strategic advisor" to Orange Star who you named yourself, much like the Tactician in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe the first internationally-released Fire Emblem game]]. This was dropped from all subsequent games. Additionally, the Campaign was very different to later games. The tutorial was separate from the main campaign rather than integrated into it, most cmaps were pre-deploy (You start with a large number of units, instead of having to build them yourself), only Orange Star was playable, there were branching routes depending on which characters you selected for which missions and Hard Mode (Advanced Mode here) dropped the Power and Technique scores entirely and only ranked you on Speed. (It's also [[NintendoHard MUCH more difficult]] than the Hard Modes of later games)

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